A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 26-25 regarding a review of the City’s social media platform usage policies.

City of Cambridge Executive Department YI-AN HUANG City Manager CITY OF CAMBRIDGE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY I. Purpose This City of Cambridge ("City") policy (the "Policy") establishes guidelines for the creation and use by the City, its departments, boards, commissions, divisions and/or employees ("City Representatives") of the City's social media networks forwork-related purposes as a means of conveying City information to and interacting with members of the public, including but not limited to its residents, businesses, and visitors (the "City's Social Media Networks"). For purposes of this policy, a social media network is understood to be any online tool, platform, or application that allows users to create, share, or interact with content, including blogs, microblogs/ social networks, video/photo sharing networks, forums, and messaging applications. For purposes of this policy, content includes comments, information, articles, pictures, videos or any other form of communicative content posted on the City's Social Media Networks ("Content"). The purpose of establishing the City's Social Media Networks is to disseminate information from the City and about the City, as well as to collect feedback and information from the public related to the City. The City has an overriding interest in what is said or shared on behalf of the City on the City's Social Media Networks. The City, through the Policy, seeks to establish how the City's Representatives shall use the City's Social Media Networks to communicate with members of the public. The Policy applies to the dissemination and use of all existing and future Content. City Hall • 795 Massachusetts Avenue • Cambridge • Massachusetts •02139 617-349-4300 • tty: 617-492-0235 • www.cambridgema.gov

II. General Poiicy A. The establishment and use by any City Representatives of any of the City's Social Media Networks are subject to prior approval by the City's Chief of Communications and their designee. The City's Communications and Community Engagement Office shall have primary oversight responsibility for all of the Cit/s Social Media Networks. The City's Social Media Networks may be administered and monitored by individual social media managers designated by the head of any City department, division, board or commission and approved by the Chief of Communications and his/her designees. Only approved social media managers shall have the authority to create new accounts and/or publish Content on the City's Social Media Networks. B. The Cit/s Social Media Networks shall make clear that they are maintained by the City and that they follow the Policy. C. Wherever possible, the City's Social Media Networks shall iink back to the official Citywebsite, main City Social Media accounts, or department web pages for forms, documents, online services, and other information necessary to conduct business with the City. D. The City's Communications and Community Engagement Office will monitor Content to ensure adherence to the Policy and the interests and goals of the City. E. The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any Content that is deemed in violation of the Policy or any applicable law, rule, regulation, or policy. Any Content removed based on the Policy should be retained by the social media managers who removed it for a reasonable period of time in accordance with any applicable federal, state or local laws, rules and regulations, as well as information about the time, date, and identity of the poster/ when available.

F. The Policy will be made available by hyperlink at www.CambridQeMA.QQV/SocialMedia. G. The City will use social media and employ social media management tools as consistently as possible, citywide. New accounts created by department social media managers should add their accounts to the social media management tools upon receiving approval. Department social media managers shall make all account information (e.g. usemame and passwords) to the City's Communications and Community Engagement Office within seven days of the department social media manager creating the Social Media Network. Passwords should be updated regularly for safety purposes. Department social media managers shall provide the City's Communications and Community Engagement Office within seven days of any password changes. H. The City's website at www.CambridgeMA.gov wili remain the City's primary and predominant Internet presence. I. All of the City's Social Media Networks shall adhere to applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations and policies. J. The City's Social Media Networks are subject to Massachusetts public records and record retention laws, rules, regulations and policies. Any Content maintained in a social media format that is related to City business/ including a list of subscribers, posted communication, and communication submitted for posting, may be a public record subject to public disclosure. Department social media managers will maintain records in accordance with Massachusetts and the City's public records and record retention laws, rules, regulations and policies. K. City Representatives using the City's Social Media Networks shall conduct themselves at all times in accordance with all City rules, regulations, and policies. L. City Representatives are expected to be attentive and careful in their use of personal social media.

M. The Policy may be updated from time to time and amended at the discretion of the City Manager. III. Content Policy. A. City Representatives shali conduct any activities relating to the City's Socia! Media Networks in a manner that reflects the mission and values of the City of Cambridge. B. Content related to public safety incidents or concerns should be initially disseminated by the City's public safety agency's social media networks and/or the City's Social Media Networks. It will be a violation of this policy for other City Representatives to disseminate content about public safety incidents or concerns without approval by the Chief of Communications or their designee. C. Only social media managers designated by City departments and the Communications and Community Engagement Office may post Content on the City's Social Media Networks. Inappropriate Content shail not be permitted on the Cit/s Social Media Networks and are subject to removal and/or restriction. Such inappropriate forms of Content include, but are not limited to: 1. Content not related to the business of the City, including random or unintelligibtecomments; 2. Profane, obscene, violent or pornographic Content and/or language; 3. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, physical and mental disability, sexuai orientation/ religion, age, family status, military status, or source of Income; 4. Defamatory or personal attacks; 5. Threats to any person or organization; 6. Content in support of, or opposition to, any political campaigns or ballot measures; 7. Solicitation of commerce, including but not limited to the advertising of any business or product for sale;

8. Conduct In violation of any federal, state, or local law, rule, regulation or policy; 9. Encouragement of illegal activity; 10. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems; 11. Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as/ but not limited to a copyright/ of any party; or 12. Any other Content deemed inappropriate by the City. D. Content posted by a member of the public on any of the City's Social Media Networks shall be the opinion of the commentator or poster only/ and publication of such Content by the City does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by the City, nor does such Content necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the City. E. The City reserves the right to delete comments or other Content that the City, in its sole discretion, determines that the Content makes a threat of violence to any person or organization, incites others to violate the law, contains obscene language, or for any other reason deemed appropriate by the City that does not abridge the commentator's First Amendment rights. The City will not edit or delete portions of Content, it wiii delete the Content in its entirety. Social media managers shall not delete content without conferring with the Law Department. F. Social media managers shall monitor the City's Social Media Networks for Content requesting responses from the City. Social media managers may direct such requests to the appropriate City department for response. G. Social media managers shall monitor Content posted on the City's Social Media Networks for violations of the Policy. H. When a City Representative responds to a comment/ in his/her/their capacity as an Administrator, the City Representative should do so in the name of the City department, division, board or commission. The City Representative shall not share personal information about himself or herself, or other City employees except as required for City business.

I. Content posted to any the of City's Social Media Networks must comply with that site's terms and conditions, and the City reserves the right to report any violation of those terms to social media managers, City's Communications and Community Engagement Office and/or the Chief of Communications, so they maytake appropriate responsive action. Dated: ^/^/m(^ Yi-^ City/Manager